Tag: Deftones

In 2011 Deftones front man Chino Moreno got together with childhood friend and fellow musician Shaun Lopez, who plays guitar for Far, as well as Chuck Doom to form a new group that Moreno said would “be minimal and soothing…. kinda like the stuff I listen to when I’m not screaming my head off.” From their vision, Crosses was born. Technically its listed like this, †††… but that’s just a pain in the ass to type so we will stick with Crosses. The electro-downtempo rock project features Moreno on vocals, Doom on bass, while Lopez plays guitar, keys, and makes beats and weird noises with a Macbook.

Since their formation Crosses has released 2 EPs as well as many YouTube videos teasing their debut full length album that was originally due out in October… and then November… and now scheduled for release in February via Sumerian Records. To commemorate the occasion, Crosses announced a handful of Midwest tour dates that featured stops in St. Louis, Nashville, Chicago, and Detroit. I had the opportunity to catch the tour opener at Pop’s Nightclub in beautiful Sauget, IL, also known as East St. Louis.

The show started with tour support Dawn Golden, a producer who hails from the magical land of Chicago. I didn’t make it in time to see Dawn Golden, I actually walked in right as Crosses was walking out, but this is the description found on both the Facebook page and Dawn Golden’s official website:“Dawn Golden and Rosy Cross is meant to bring about a melancholy familiarity, like going back to the house where you grew up and finding it the way you left it, only 10 years later and everything is falling apart.”
Whatever that is supposed to mean… I did overhear a group discussing his set and they mentioned that he played “Ava Adore” by The Smashing Pumpkins. So there’s that.

Crosses started their set just about 9:15 P.M. Pop’s Nightclub was crowded and people were packed in by the stage, but it definitely wasn’t sold out. In addition to the main trio, Crosses tours as a five piece with the addition of a drummer and another guitar player. The stage was adorned with a backdrop that featured nothing more than three crosses (†††) as the band came on to eerie music and all red lighting. They didn’t waste much time as they went right into things with “The Holy Ghost”, a track from their first EP. Chino’s haunting vocals mixed well with the melodic yet heavy music. As he lurked around the stage, I couldn’t help but think of the White Pony era Deftones, but with a very ominous tone. Occasionally we would get a signature growl from Chino, but mostly just his actual singing voice. Think of what you would hear on Deftones songs like “Pink Maggot” or “Digital Bath.”

After giving the crowd the “What’s Up St. Louis? You all good?” shout out, they launched into “This is a Trick.” Also from the debut EP this song features more of the Chino we know and love. He has been performing to packed venues for 20+ years and his primal scream still holds up with the best of them. Chino loosened up a bit more and worked the stage as the night when on. When Moreno sang out “I’m so excited I can hardly take it” the crowd joined in and Chino let out another squeal. Moreno then announced that this was pretty much the first time Crosses has played outside of California and it was great to be in St. Louis. (Note: Crosses has played some international shows, but very few U.S. dates). A funky bass heavy number called “Telepathy” was next. I really enjoyed this one and it gave us a chance to meet Chuck Doom who slapped his bass around and showed off a bit. This song reminded me a bit of when Glassjaw’s Daryl Palumbo did the Head Automatica side project.

They then launched into what appears to be the first single from the soon to be released album, “Bitches Brew”, a fantastic and catchy song with a very creepy music video that came out in November, when the album was scheduled to come out. Moreno asked the crowd “who’s ready to get loose? Its fucking Friday night!” as the band went into “Prurient”, an absolutely beautiful song that almost seemed at times like Moreno was struggling to hold back another signature growl or two. During “Frontiers” the fans down on the rail were greeted with a visit from Chino as he jumped in the photo pit area and up on the railing.

VIDEO CREDIT TO YOUTUBE USER: SbMick

After “1987”, a very trancy song that has lots of guitar and weird sounds in it, courtesy of Shaun Lopez’ Macbook, Moreno introduced “The Epilogue” in his best scary voice. “The Epilogue” was released a few months back to promote the original release date of the album, and is the first Crosses song I was actually familiar with. I really enjoyed it live. Chino then said “I hadn’t’t even noticed there were moterfuckers up top” referring to the balcony. They closed the set out with the guitar heavy “Option”, where Chino again came down to the rail to interact with the fans before a brief exit from the stage. The encore started with “Trophy”, a very mellow song from their second EP that a guy standing next to me referred to as “stoner metal.” Chino thanked the crowd one last time before they finished the incredible set with a song they recorded for a Batman video game called “The Years”, during which Chino spent a good chunk of the song laying out over the crowd screaming into the mic.

For only having a handful of shows under their belt, this band plays together like they’ve been doing it for ten years. This may have been my first show of 2014 but it will certainly leave a lasting impression on me and will most likely be in consideration for one of the years best. My only complaint is that their set was only about an hour long including the encore, but with only a few EPs under their belt there isn’t much more material they could have pulled out. Either way, I paid $10.57 for the ticket and would have happily paid $25. If you get the chance to catch ††† live, I suggest you do. They were recently announced as part of the 2014 Coachella Festival and their debut full length will drop on February 11th. You can pre-order it now right here.

Everyone’s got an opinion regarding Avenged Sevenfold. Lots of people hate them, calling them derivative/wannabe rock stars. At the other end of the spectrum, you have the band’s fans, eating up everything the band releases including their latest album Hail to the King which recently topped the Billboard’s Top 100. Touring in support of that record, Avenged Sevenfold stopped at Oklahoma City’s Chesapeake Energy Arena last night bringing along Deftones and Ghost as support. Surely one of the strangest mainstream bills to hit arenas this year, the three bands played to a small yet hugely passionate crowd.

Sweden’s Ghost kicked things off for the evening, running through a bizarre 45-minute set that seemed to captivate the audience. While it reeked of gimmickry (Anonymous band members? A Satan-worshipping Cardinal figure?), the band was certainly entertaining. Heavy music fronted by a pop-sounding Satan-loving freak? If it works, it works, I guess, and judging by the number of Ghost shirts on the front row (a concert sin), the Swedes have developed a nice little underground following here in America. The band’s set included performances of Per Aspera ad Inferi, Year Zero and Ritual, sadly leaving out their intense Here Comes the Sun cover.

Deftones were up next, still riding on the heels of last year’s critically successful Koi no Yokan. Chino Moreno still bounces around like an insane person, constantly climbing up on his riser before jumping of or running across the stage twirling is microphone. He’s an engaging performer, to be sure, but last night he seemed to be having a bit of trouble balancing his on stage acrobatics with singing, sounding short of breath more than a few times. After tripping on a platform mid set, it became clear that perhaps he was just having an off night. Luckily he picked himself back up and recovered nicely, smiling before resuming his nonstop dancing center stage. Musically the band sounded tight, delivering solid takes on Rosemary, My Own Summer (Shove It) and Swerve City. Deftones are certainly a different style of music than either Ghost or Avenged Sevenfold, but they seemed to have just as many fans out in the crowd. It seemed odd to have a band so critically respected sandwiched between some Satan-worshipping, relative newcomers and one of the most polarizing bands in American rock, but they made it work.

After the Deftones wrapped up their set, the crowd’s anticipation for Avenged Sevenfold seemed to reach a breaking point. Soon enough, fire erupted from the stage as the band took their places on stage. Opening up with Shepherd of Fire, the band heated up the arena — quite literally — with insane amounts of pyro coming from seemingly every direction on stage. Critical Acclaim was next, finding vocalist M. Shadows growling over the fairly typical guitar riffs going on behind him. Guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates played their first of many dual-guitar solos of the evening during the track, throwing out shades of Judas Priest while the crowd pumped their fists in response. The band’s music may come across as inauthentic to some, but for the thousands of smiling faces at last night’s show, it’s clear they have a connection with a large number of people.

The band’s stage, a huge castle facade with a giant skeleton king centered behind the drum riser, served as a great backdrop for all of the pyro and spectacle happening towards the front. M. Shadows and both guitarists all had their own mini-risers at the front of the stage, climbing up anytime they wanted to solo or pop off whatever rock pose they were feeling at that moment. There were so many solos peppering nearly every song that for every vocal hook present during the show, I’d say there were approximately 12 guitar solos. It was a little excessive, but both guitarists are more than proficient so it was never painful.

The band sounded at their best when things were speedy and had a sharper edge — when they slowed down the show for a heartfelt tribute to their late drummer The Rev, things became a bit rough. While Fiction was a nice way to keep The Rev’s memory alive, M. Shadow’s vocals really seem to have trouble when he lets off his distinctive growl and the multi-layered synth work was a bit over the top. It was a weak point in an otherwise strong and engaging show, and really seemed to throw off the flow of their 90-minute set. It certainly can’t be all solos and all growling for the entire show, but the song sounded incredibly out of place.

The remainder of the night was solid, featuring performances of Nightmare, Afterlife and Bat Country. Shadows thanked the audience for coming out on a Wednesday night before leaving the stage. After a few minutes of “Sevenfold” chants rising out of the audience, the band came back out for a quick two-song encore, rounding out their set with Chapter Four and Unholy Confessions. All in all, not a bad show.

While these three bands have very little common, least of all fanbases, each band delivered in its own unique way. Judging by the size of the crowd, it’s not clear that any of these bands have the draw to fill arenas, but it was obvious that the people who did come out had a great time.

Check out a few more selected shots, followed by a full gallery of all three bands:

Avenged Sevenfold is hitting the road in support of their new record, Hail To The King, due out August 27th. Fans of the band are more than thrilled. You know who else is thrilled? Fans of Deftones as well as fans of Ghost, both bands who will be on tour with A7X this fall, hitting arena’s in major markets not named New York or California. To check out where to catch this gig, take a look at the dates below. Head over to the band’s website for more information by clicking here.

Here we go folks, another day another festival announcement. The 2013 version of the Beale Street Music Festival released its lineup this morning. Taking place at Tom Lee Park during the Memphis In May International Festival May 3rd through the 5th. Serving as your headliners are The Black Keys,Alice In Chains, The Flaming Lips and The Smashing Pumpkins, ZZ Top, Deftones, Patti Smith, Gary Clark Jr., The Joy Formidable, Heartless Bastards, AWOLNATION, Cracker and The Wallflowers round out the list of acts this writer would want to check out. Other acts you may be into: Phoenix, Bassnector, SherylCrow, Lucero, Hall & Oates, The Roots and Public Enemy to name a few. The full list of acts are below, and for tickets (which are very reasonably priced compared to other festivals across the country) and other information head to the festival’s Official Website By Clicking Here.

We here at Concert Confessions would like to that Orion Music + More for putting together an awesome lineup in year TWO. Coming to the lovely Detroit this year, the festival features the like of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Deftones and Rise Against headlining along side festival curators Metallica. Other notables include Japandroids, Silversun Pickups, the FLAG version of Black Flag (How many years have people wanted Black Flag to tour now that they finally do there’s TWO of them?) and Death Grips. Check out the full lineup below, and for information on tickets and such just head to this link.

Another day, another festival announcement. For the third time, the Carolina Rebellion Festival will serve as Mid-Atlantic’s biggest rock festival around and May 4th & 5th it will return to Rock City Campgrounds in Concord, North Carolina. The big names are Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and the Deftones. Papa Roach, Bush, Rise Against and Bullet For My Valentine are other notables. For more information on tickets and all that jazz, head over to the official festival website. For a full list of announce acts, check below.

It’s nearing the end of the year, or if you’re into it, the end of the world as we know it. Since I’ve attended many shows this year(30+) and taken photographs, I thought I’d share with you a re-cap of my most favorite shows from 2012. I am going to list them in the order in which I saw them, because picking a favorite is not easy out of what I’ve chosen. Here we go!

1. 311 Day 03/10-03/11 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas NV

What can I say?? I’m a 311 die-hard. This event was one of the most awesome concerts I’ve had the opportunity to witness. Yes it cost a lot for tickets, and yes, I was bummed I didn’t get floor tickets. But, traveling to Vegas knowing I’m not only going to see my favorite band play TWO nights in a row AND I get to see my friends from around the country made it worth it. Two days before leaving for Vegas, I caught 311 in Wendover NV as well. Met some fans who we actually followed and kept running into at gas stations along the way from Utah to Vegas. That’s one of the things that makes 311 unique. Their fans can easily become your family(literally, people have met through the 311 website and are now married with kids). When I got word that I got to photograph the band on 311 Day, that only amped up the show for me. With setlists that exceeded 30 songs per night, and a stage to rival the likes of Rob Zombie, 311 put on a show that went down in history. Thousands of people singing their hearts out, a band that loves its fans(truly….they honor fans by using fan art, our photos, etc, and always give credit) and a venue to fit us all. What an incredible two days.

2. GWAR 04/10/12 Saltair, Magna UT

When the opportunity dropped into my lap to go to GWAR, two things happened: I got nervous, and I got a raincoat for my camera. I’d never seen this band, nor listened to anything of theirs past what I heard over the years randomly. I also heard that they were less than polite to photographers. So naturally, shooting this show seemed like a good idea to me. What I saw and experienced made this show one that I will tell stories about forever. I had a poncho for myself, but used it to wrap my camera bag and hid it out-of-the-way. I was glad, because I got targeted immediately by a torso that had just had the head cut off on stage. The fake blood spurting out of the neck stump went directly into my mouth, eye and into my lens(yay for camera ponchos!)as the torso bent over and drained into my face. Yep, that’s normal. It didn’t phase me and honestly I got right over the fear of it. GWAR continued to dismantle people, creatures and Snooki on stage that night. Guts, blood, parts…..a mess. But the thing that amazed me was their ability to play instruments and sound good while all that was going on. A spectacle but very, very well produced. I will definitely take the time to bask in the live horror that is GWAR if they come back to Utah. Which they should, seeing as how there were plenty of flesh-hungry weirdos that were there(and a guy who literally threw his 7-year old into a mosh pit).

3. Primus 06/19/12 Rail Event Center, SLC UT

Legend. How could I not go to Primus? Playing their new album, “Green Naugahyde” in its entirety AND a set of our favorites as well? Sign me up. While the crowd warmed up with the “Primus Sucks” chant, I readied my lens. I stood in front of a stage with red lights, two giant astronauts with moving, living faces(awesome stage production), and my hands were shaking. In a moment, I was standing less than a foot from Les Claypool. Legend. Innovator. As I stated, they played two sets. The first was a mix of hits, “Frizzle Fry”, “Pudding Time” etc. The second, was what I would call a trippy date with Pink Floyd, but on more acid, with more spinning things. “Green Naugahyde” is very different, but still very Primus. I think it was best it was played as a whole, and it fits as a piece that I feel is meant to be listened to from start to finish. But as a gift at the end, Primus encored with “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”. Dream come true. Capped off the night with meeting the band, and getting my Miscellaneous Debris EP signed, as well as my Green Naugahyde vinyl.

4. Band of Horses 07/26/12 SLC UT Twilight Concert Series

We here in Utah have an outstanding summer concert series for the last 15+ years. It has nothing to do with those stupid vampire movies/books, and it’s called Twilight Concert Series. This year, they spoiled the hell out of us. We got a visit from Indie(yeah I said it) rockers Band of Horses. With songs you know from popular shows (The Funeral) and gentle hits like “No One’s Gonna Love You”, this band’s live performance wins over both the casual listener and the uber fan. I had the pleasure of being in the photo pit for this, and I was like a giddy school girl. I have listened to this band now for a few years, and it delighted me to hear them live. This was one of the larger crowds that turned out for the series that also featured artists including Nas, and Tinnie Tempah. The energy was amazing, and the crowd was singing along word for word. One of the summer shows not to be missed.

5. Iron Maiden 08/01/12 USANA, SLC UT

You read that correctly. I went to Iron Maiden, and GWAR this year. I would not consider myself a hard/metal rocker. But I know better than to miss Iron Maiden on a tour to my piddly state. When Iron Maiden adds you to their tour stops, you go. And the crowd did. This was a very interesting mix of folks. I think I saw at least three pregnant women(two with broken legs) and a pregnant stage tech(also with a cast, hoisting her belly up a speaker stand no less). Mullets, 80’s leggings, and lots of black clothes. But, the thing that caught my attention was the many children that were out and about. This was a family affair. Many parents were seen passing on the musical tradition of a good ol’ rock show, and this made me have a little more hope in humanity. Instead of running to a Bieber show, little metalheads were having a great time watching the flames shoot out of the stage, and Bruce Dickinson leap about like a spring chicken(to quote the tour manager haha). The guys are in prime condition and threw down the gauntlet of rock music. The show was amazing, well-played, and for guys pushing 60+, doing the splits was pretty awesome. I am not allowed to share the photos, as there was a waiver, but the best way to see a show is to GO.

6. Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson 10/01/12 USANA, SLC UT

I went to this show as a fan of Marilyn Manson. I like Rob, but I like Marilyn more. I missed out the last time he was here and I was not going to miss him this time. Marilyn Manson opened for Rob Zombie, and now that I look back, that is just fine. I had excellent seats for this show, and no photo pass(boo) for Manson. He had a crazy stage with several changing sets, costumes, effects, etc. He also blew some “coke” onto the audience during “The Dope Show”, which was backlit with a large sign that read “DRUGS”. From pope costumes to glittery gloves and sword-shaped mic holders, Manson, for me, delivered.

The star of this tour though, was Rob Zombie. Meeting him before the show was an added bonus. Skinny, polite, sweet I’d even say. He hugged me tightly and won me over for sure. Nothing like the man who came out of a robot’s chest that was shooting flames. Yes, I’d say it was about 12 feet of robot, and Rob Zombie emerged and took his place behind his mic of bones. The man is a talented showman. I was blown away at his pace, his talent, his band, and his stage. Rob interacted with the crowd, large inflated bouncing balls fell into the crowd during a song, pulp comics of vintage women played on screens that were part of the stage’s platforms, and Rob dominated the show. He walked off stage and came into the crowd and sang with people during a song. The theatrics do not mask a lack of anything for this group. They compliment the musical talent and experience that Rob’s band has, and this was a total delight. I did get photo access for this set and took some decent photos. GO SEE ROB ZOMBIE.

7. Deftones 10/17/12 In The Venue, SLC UT

Ch-ch-ch Chino. Again, one of those “do not miss” nights. Deftones came into Salt Lake City and owned it. I was talking to a stage hand who told me that they’d brought at least 3 semi trailers of sound gear, and so much of it that it wouldn’t fit the stage. I was more than amped for this show, and the crowd of sweaty people packed in on a mild October night, was pushing the capacity of what the place could hold. I was one of three people in the state lucky enough to get a photo pass for this. I was pretty damn blown away when Chino leaned into me and screamed into my face during a song. Nothing like that. The man is amazing. He also sweat on me, cause you know, we were close enough for that haha. The performance was killer, the sound amazing, the energy immense. My first Deftones show, and no way will it be the last.

8. Blue October 10/31/12 The Depot , SLC UT

Ok, this band took me by complete surprise. Yes, I knew who they were and their songs. But I have a rule. Never judge a band until you see them live(that even goes for country artists which I don’t usually like and yes, I’ve suffered through many country acts and some redeemed themselves). Blue October came into my town on Halloween and played a private “winner’s only” show for the local radio station. About 25 people were invited to see an acoustic performance by three members of Blue October, in a room that was part of The Living Planet Aquarium. This room is like a sunken ship, and that added to the beauty of what happened next. Singing four songs, Blue October’s Justin Furstenfeld got into my head. I wasn’t the only one; several people were silently crying and listening to him sing. The acoustic versions of The Ocean, Hate Me, Dirt Room, and a new song, are haunting. That’s the best way to put it. No matter what your life is like, these lyrics echo in you. It was something I haven’t had before, a deep connection to a total stranger. It felt like no one else was in the room. I don’t know how they did that, but all the people in the room got a personal show that day. A handshake, photo and autograph….sure. But what stuck with me is way more valuable than those tangible things that will burn or fade away. Blue October played a whole set later that night at The Depot that was also incredible, but nothing like a bare-bones set with just a guitar and some other strings. I was honored to have been there.

9. Cursive and Minus The Bear 11/06/12 The Depot, SLC UT

I’ll admit it, I’m not well-versed in Cursive’s catalog. But I knew a few songs and a friend of mine has been following them for years, so he encouraged me to go. When I realized that Minus The Bear was headlining, I was sold. Cursive commanded the stage with such force. I was truly analyzing what I was hearing and really enjoying watching the show. To me, they sounded like a fusion of B52’s, punk, and some swing rock. But each song was so different, and the time changes alone were enough to make any musician want to know “how’d they do that AND make it work?” . A great set indeed.

Now, Minus The Bear….just, DAMN. I couldn’t have been more excited to see these guys. The last time they came, they played an album in its entirety, and I was ready to hear some other tracks performed live. I was lucky enough to shoot the show as well. The lighting was amazing, the sound-even better. Soft yellows and greens and smoke, along with that signature MTB sound and a crowd that was unusually young I thought. That made me happy though, seeing that there are some young folks left that appreciate real music. I got to hear “Pachuca Sunrise”, which they actually did in an extended version and I did get some tears in my eyes. I love this band, and they are doing amazing things with their music. Capped off the night with meeting the band, and pulling some gang signs at their request in our photo. Good times, good show, and awesome live performance.

10. NOFX 12/08/12 The Complex, SLC UT

Ok. This was probably my first “real” punk rock show. This was a highly anticipated tour stop for this band, as they have not been to Utah since 2008. Luckily, I was sent into the surprisingly large photo pit to capture the first few songs. Also awesome, was the fact that we were in the “big” room at this venue, which held about 2500 people I’d guess. Either way, the place was packed and punk getup was everywhere you looked. People were extremely excited for this show. I’d been seeing people post about it for weeks on various social media networks, and heard people talking about it in passing. When Fat Mike and the boys took the stage, a guy immediately hopped the rail. Security was less than polite, slamming his head into my back and taking him to the ground. When Fat Mike called them out for being rough, the guy stood up and yelled “FAT MIIIIIIIKE” and then was escorted out. Fat Mike told Security to be nice and let him stay, and alluded to some butt raping joke…..but hey, it’s a punk show. Some highlights of the night were the insane jumping by Eric Melvin, drummer Erik Sandin sticking his tongue out at me, a dumbass fan putting his hat over a bright light and nearly setting it on fire(personally witnessed this and slapped his arm to get his attention when the hat was smoking), a plethora of beer cans being tossed, a series of racist jokes between Fat Mike and El Hefe(who was spotted “face timing” with his kiddo prior to the show) and the polite and rowdy fans screaming the words to every song in our faces. This show was SO fun to be a part of. I’d see them 10 more times. Even if they sucked. But they don’t. So put on your spikey jacket, spray up that mohawk, tie up your Docs and head out to this spectacle. Because you’ll have a damn good time.

All in all, this was a great year for shows in my state. I was blessed with a great job that allows me access to take photos, and it has given me so many experiences that I will never, ever forget. I am honored and happy to share those with you, and please enjoy the photos I managed to snap at these shows. Have a happy, apocalypse-free 2013. Be good to each other. Looking forward to sharing the shows with you!

Deftones fans never fear, the band is hitting the road hard this March. After releasing Koi No Yokan to awesome reviews last year, the band will tour beginning in Rochester and they’ll make their way down the coast across the country hitting lots of regions not named California. Check out the tour dates below.

Prediction: The March 9th Show at New York City’s Terminal 5 will feature a Biggie Smalls hologram on the anniversary of his death.

I managed to get a Personal Day off from work so I knew there would be nothing getting in my way as I traveled north to Chicago to catch Deftones. A friend of mine was traveling from Michigan and had stayed the night up in Chicago, so she was already there, just not at the venue yet, I managed to get to Chicago around 11:30am or so, roughly that time, and low and behold there were two folks in line, a nice couple that had gotten there around 10:30 am, Of course friends were made with another couple that came along with Alexis my friend from Michigan and the line was formed.

The Aragon in Chicago is an old theater that has a sky for a ceiling, and a Spanish looking balcony, it’s very ornate inside. It’s a good venue, the acoustics are good, the air flow isn’t, but I’ve seen several shows there, and would recommend anyone going to a general admission show, there is a flight of stairs, but overall, it’s one of my go to venues in Chicago. Love it, and it’s located a block away from the Riveria. So two great venues all on the same street.

Of course there was construction happening at the train station that the Aragon sits next to and we were told to start lining up down the alley. That’s where we sat throughout the day. We did get rained on, got food, but overall having good company and someone to talk to helps you pass the time. The doors weren’t opening until 6:30pm, and we were allowed into the venue around 6:45pm. Got right up in the middle on the rail, they had the rail going in a ‘u’ shaped format, so standing right in that left area of the ‘u’ worked well as all of us who showed up early got great spots.

The opening band was “Scars on Broadway”, which consisted of Daron and John from System of the Down, honestly I have never heard of them, so they were new to me, but overall they didn’t do that bad. There was several folks there just to see them only to leave when they were done. One guy in the pit down by me actually said he had never heard of the Deftones, can you believe that? Scars on Broadway played some really catchy rock songs, and at one point there was this giant penis, that was lifted up out in the crowd, and it said and I quote “I’ll piss on your face while you suck on my cock” Lyrics from one of Scar’s songs, and they played that song, and acknowledged the huge blow up dick. I swear, between the pot and blow up, it was a rather interesting concert.

This makes the third time I’ve seen the Deftones, and roughly the most brutal of all three shows. I’m really surprised I didn’t break a rib that’s how bad the pit was. I even have the battle scars to prove it. The Deftones took the stage around 8:45pm to a massive push on my side. The other side of the pit didn’t move, but the left side did. I’m really surprised a rib did not break. It was just a rush of people coming at the rail, and that continued pretty much through the whole entire set. Chino looked fabulous, he was flawless in belting out “Diamond Eyes” as their opening number.. The stage was really high at the Aragon, so he was able to actually look out over the entire crowd, everyone was singing along, and as usual the pit had many shifts. After “Diamond Eyes”, they went right into “Rocket Skates”, overall I believe they sang twenty songs, with Chino coming out into the pit during one, I can’t remember which one it is, as soon as he jumped off the stage, the surge of people was intense, he did manage to come on my side, right in front of another friend and her boyfriend. He started to go over to the other side, and then decided to hit up the middle of the pit, which was epic; his shirt did get ripped off almost.

Overall excellent performance by the Deftones, out of all three shows I’ve been to, this one was the best, the worst for pit, but the best for performance. There wasn’t an encore, although Chino did go change his shirt (to a Ghost shirt, click hereto read all about how amazing that band is) so that could have been the small break, and they roughly played for an hour and half.

I did walk away bruised and battered, and slightly high in a sense, along with a parking ticket, and making it home, to catch three hours of sleep before being at work at 7. Great concert, typical day in this concert chick’s life.

Deftones have just announced dates for a fall 2012 US tour. The trek will be in support of their 7th studio album Koi No Yokan which will hit shelves later this fall. Joining the Deftones as main support will be the System of a Down offshoot Scars on Broadway. You can check out all the dates down below. For the latest news on Deftones, check out their official website by clicking here.

Last night the Deftones hit the Troubadour for a 20 song barn burning set in West Hollywood. Earlier this week they premiered a new song called “Rosemary”, and a few hours ago that wasn’t the only new song they played. Below, You can view the fan filmed footage for “Rosemary” and well as the song they premiered last night called “Roller Derby”. Happy Sunday to you.

Epicenter has returned for a fourth year to sunny Southern California. For the second year it will be held in Irvine California at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Past lineups include Tool, Linkin Park, Alice in Chains in 2009 (You can read our review here); Kiss, Eminem, Blink-182 in 2010; and the greatly disappointing Limp Bizkit, Staind, Papa Roach triple “threat” in 2011.

This year’s lineup appears to be a major improvement from 2011, with some of the most massively overlooked bands of the 90’s topping the bill: Stone Temple Pilots who are coming off a triumphant reunion, Deftones (who are going on tour with System Of a Down next month), and Bush, who are currently on tour with Nickelback (we’re just as disturbed as you are.)

Also on the bill are the System of a Down side project Scars On Brodway, formally party rap but now more leaning towards emo kids Hollywood Undead (who rocked the first Epicenter back in 2009), and fresh off of Warped Tour 2012 Dead Sara. Rounding out the lineup are Chevelle, Escape The Fate, Crash Kings, Hyro Da Hero and Beware of Darkness. No doubt additional artists will be added at a later date.

This all goes down September 22nd 2012. Tickets go on sale July 14th at 10 am PST. You can watch the official trailer for the festival down below.

Slipknot is launching their own music festival. Dubbed Knotfest, the event will hit the Midwest for two incredible days of music and more this August. The event will rock Council Bluffs Iowa on the 17th and Minneapolis Minnesota (technically Wisconsin) on the 18th. Lineups for each day are as follows:

System of a Down Team With Deftones For 2012 North American Summer Tour

With a rumored tour in the works for over a decade (I can say that because I know for a fact I stated a rumor saying that back in 2000) last week we watched as members of Deftones and System of a Down posted Instagram photos featuring members of one band holding back stage passes for the others band. We can finally report as fact that these two California powerhouses are indeed hitting the road together. It appears that System of a Down will serve as headliners and Deftones will be opening. Dates and on sale information are below. To read about System of a Down in Seattle, click here. To check out numerous Deftones reviews, click here.

It’s official, Dillinger Escape Plan and Deftones will team up for a tour of North America this spring. The month long trek will take the two bands from Seattle to New York City and even features a few stops in the fine nation of Canada.

Blabbermouth is reporting that more dates are still to be added to the trek. This will be the Deftones third tour of North America behind their 2009 opus Diamond Eyes. The band is also offering fans the chance to purchase Black & Diamond VIP packages. For more information on those packages, please click here.

As always, please keep an eye on the bands official websites, as tour dates/venues may change.

When rumors of a Mastodon/Deftones/Alice in Chains fall arena trek began to gain steam earlier this year, I found myself very excited. All great bands on both record and stage crisscrossing our nations arenas, what could go wrong? Well as it turns out, lots could go wrong with Blackdiamondskye as I found out first hand at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, CA.

In the weeks leading up to the announcement of west coast dates, this was going to be the one fall tour I refused to miss. Yet when I learned that my local stop would cost $50+ dollars for a seated venue on a Tuesday night, I had no problem missing a tour that featured bands I have seen numerous times over the past year. It was at that very moment that I decided I would save my heard earned cash and skip Blackdiamondskye.

So why are you reading this? Well it turns out that somewhere along the line, I entered a contest for free tickets and a pair of Vans tennis shoes. Guess who won the contest? So I called up a friend and we headed up to California’s worst amusement park/tourist trap for a night of hard rock.

Mastodon

Mastodon is one of my favorite bands, and they never disappoint live. I wish I could tell you all about the groups opening set, however the same folks who got me into the show for free (a little company called Live Nation, you may have heard of them) are the same reason I missed the bands entire set. You see, it turns out that I am not the only person who didn’t want to see these bands for a high price in a venue that is better built for Neil Diamond then hard rock/heavy metal. With only a handful of tickets sold 48 hours before the show, Live Nation decided to drop the price down to $10. A great deal for fans, but as anyone who has been to a show in North America knows – Live Nation will do anything to fuck over those fans. I am going to guess that 4000+ fans bought $10 tickets starting Monday morning. Knowing it’s a week night and that fans would be traveling in heavy traffic from all over the Southland, how were fans greeted? Two people working Will Call for 4000+ people. After 45 minutes in line, I finally made it to the window and I almost snapped. The envelopes were apparently not in alphabetical order which caused an overworked staff member to sort through hundreds of envelopes to find my tickets. With the line not getting any shorter, part of me wanted to give her a hug and donkey punch her employer. I get that Live Nation lost their ass on this tour, but can you not afford an intern who can put the tickets in alphabetical order? Could you not afford four or even eight Will Call employees? So while I am stoked I won some silly Live Nation contest, the way they handled the entire process only makes me hate the company more. So I am sorry Mastodon, I really was looking forward to rocking out with you guys.

Deftones

As a CSC security guard was busy fondling my man boobs looking for drugs, the Deftones were opening their set with “Rocket Skates” from their impressive new album Diamond Eyes. I know up next was “Around The Fur” but I am not really 100% sure since I was trying to get a drink before making my way in for the night (thanks to the rad bartender who gave me way more then he probably should have. That shot looked like 2-3, and I made sure he was well tipped). I made it into my seat just in time for the bands third song “My Own Summer (Shove It).” I was shocked at how packed the venue was (especially after Jay Porks MSG review), apparently the $10 ticket sale worked.

As a lifelong Deftones fan (this was show #15 for me) I could tell right away that this gig would be one to forget. Gibson is the wrong venue for the band – Deftones and seats mix much like peanut butter and ranch dressing. The crowd could care less that the band was playing intense versions of songs like “Diamond Eyes” and “You’ve Seen The Butcher.” Hell, the crowd hardly noticed the bands biggest hit “Change (In The House of Flies).” Deftones are a band who are powered off crowd reaction and energy. With it feeling more like a funeral then a rock show, you could feel the frustration from the band, which is why I am shocked at how they chose to finish the set.

With front man Chino Moreno wishing his daughter a happy 6th Birthday, the band launched into a three song segue fest that would have made many Phish fans proud. From their debut album Adrenaline and dedicated to their fallen brother Chi Cheng; the band got straight up nasty with “Birthmark>Engine No. 9>7 Words.” For the first (and I assume only) time all night, a small pit broke in the venues small and unseated pit area. As someone who first saw the band almost 15 years ago on the Adrenaline tour, the playing on the final three songs was my highlight of the night. When they want too, the Deftones still have that old school kick you in the teeth flair. Here is looking forward to show #16 in a venue that does not have seats.

Alice in Chains

Last summer, when I saw Alice in Chains for the first time, I was levitating above the Fairplex in Pomona. A fan for years, I was in shock that I was finally seeing a band whose music has made such an impact upon my life. So heading into the venue, I was eager to see the Seattle four piece play a full headline set. While the set was not terrible, you could tell the group was drained from non-stop touring around the world. The band started off on a good pace, performing three songs from the classic album Dirt. “Them Bones” is a perfect was to kick things off, and “Rain When I Die” is one of my all time favorite AIC songs. The band who has released multiple greatest hits packages busted out many of the big guns early. “Again” was hard and heavy, however the band started to fade quickly during the recent rock radio smash “Check My Brain.” Lead guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell tried to encourage the crowd to celebrate California, get into the music and check their brains. Yet most just looked on dazed and confused trying to act cool by not letting loose.

It was clear all hope for Alice in Chains was long gone by the time they dove heavily into songs from their comeback record Black Gives Way To Blue. “Your Decision” gave most of the crowd reason to sit down, and “Acid Bubble” gave the masses a chance to empty their bladders. It got so bad; Cantrell would point to pockets of fans rocking out in order to encourage the rest of the audience to join them. This move failed and as the band busted out the Facelift classic “We Die Young” you could tell that the fearless foursome were counting down the final days of a tour that has tanked from coast to coast.

Depressed and under-stimulated, my friend and I left during the encore break. Sure we could have hung around and watched a tired band struggle to make an impact with hits like “Man in the Box” and “Would?” but why watch something you love suffer? Looking back, for as excited as I was for BlackDiamondSkye, I see why it failed. In the last 14 months, the Southern California area has seen Mastodon three times, Deftones six times and Alice in Chains three times. I am not sure if it was Warner Music, Live Nation or perhaps a combination of both who decided it was a smart move to place these bands together with a steep ticket price during a bad economy. It’s a shame as both bands and fans deserve better. At least I got a free pair of shoes out of the deal (updated 08/11 – I am still waiting for my shoes to show up).

I felt the same way that I feel when I’m going to see any of my teams play at the Garden-there’s half as many people as capacity and everyone’s drunk and loud, only the product in front of us all tonight weren’t a bunch of sad losers! What goes on people, welcome into the 36th installment of the Jay Porks Never Ending Concert series (I’m dead serious about the “Never Ending” part of that if you didn’t know by now) which has me feeling a bit sporty I must say. I mean come on, we’re at the Mecca of sports-The world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden to check out the legendary Alice In Chains with Deftones and Mastodon rounding out what is billed as the BLACKDIAMONDSKYE tour..Like I said, so happy to be coming here to see something good and not the New York Rangers sad excuse for a hockey team or the dreadful basketball team that plays there who’s name is not worth the proverbial ink. But by the looks of the arena, you’d thought something crappy was going on. That place got half full at best. Upon arrived, the early comers were re-routed to different sections leaving a full empty row in between every row. When I made a pit stop during Deftones, event staff was just telling people, and I quote “There’s tons of seats, it doesn’t matter what your ticket says just find an open seat”.. So I paid $38 plus fees for this thing to not be near capacity? That doesn’t make me proud of my NY peers at all. And why not just charge $25 for these seats I’m in now and you’ll sell the place out.. We’re at least twice the distance I was when I first saw Alice In Chains with DuVall in 2007 at an outdoor venue in NJ that I paid $20 for tickets. It just bewilders me that this thing isn’t crammed full-and later when AIC came on and everyone was standing up it looked like the place was packed-trust me when I tell you it was far from that.

Anyway, on to the tunes shall we? Mastodon played from 7PM to about 740PM, they were actually on when we were walking in, so I missed the first tune. They were heavy, they were dredging, did I mention they were heavy? I wondered if the sound got this loud for the first opener how much was it going to elevate throughout this night.. and these guys are REAL metal-they have the duel vocalists going on-the regular singer AND the screaming singer dude.. That’s how the real metal acts roll.. their light show (not much bright lighting) vs my camera was a losing battle for us, so I apologize for not putting a crappy picture of nothing up here, as all night I had problems with pics considering the distance..Of the few of us that were there, there was a group of dudes really getting into it-skin head dudes doing heavy metal air guitar-fun from a far, but certainly not a collection of swings I want to get in between.. That’s the thing about metal-the fans. I’ll be the first to admit that they were a little heavy for me, I mean I enjoyed it but wouldn’t blast their records all day long-I’d go deaf… But the thing about metal is the fans. They come out strong every time, they spend money. You know they spend money because they know all the words to all the songs that came off the latest record.. They come to shows, far and wide, rock out they buy albums and shirts and are not afraid to show how into it they are- This is unlike some people, who just find ways to listen to music on the internet without buying/owning it.

Deftones went on shortly before 8PM…Deftones rocked it out… Enjoyed them a little more because, compared to Mastodon, they were at a much more manageable volume. They had the nu metal thing going on-some songs it seemed like they were like a way better version of like, Korn or something and then at times they went to a totally different place..Also, Chino (vocals, guitar sometimes) had this table set up in front of him, that he would climb up and down during portions of songs.. he would jumped up there to do one of his deep screams and then jump down off of it-and hey he does not shy away from the occasional “F” bomb, using occasional in a sarcastic sense of course…. and way more Deftones fans then expected, much like with Mastodon, we had air guitaring skin heads-not the mean skin head tho, I’m just calling them skin heads because they were bald and I don’t know their names. I highly doubt any of the fun lovin’ Deftones fans beat women or ride Harley’s religiously-c’mon now what do you think this is Slayer or something? They worked it til ten minutes before 9, that’s when a curtain went up in front of the stage, and the army of roadies began to set up for Alice In Chains..

Let me mention the huge middle finger I gave society by smoking cigarettes right in my seat while ducking event staffers, whom of which the Garden seemed to be light on tonight… pot was being smoked everywhere-it was great. So suck on that James Dolan!

The sheet that was in front of the stage was used as a prop for Alice In Chains’intro, there was some cool effects going on there, including a beating, blackened throbbing veined heart, like from the front of their record Black Gives Way To Blue.. Roars of the crowd (it’s about 9:30 when the intro started ) as you can see the silhouettes coming out on stage. Then the drapes fell, and “Them Bones” was what they chose to kick things off with. Awesome from string one-what makes this band is the professionalism, the musicianship they bring to the table. I mean, I can rave all day about Jerry Cantrell’s sick ridiculous guitar skills, as I did back in May. Tonight lets take a look at Sean Kinney, who is drumming in a different league than most others. He’s off doing some other stuff over there with free flowing ease that was reminiscent of something out of the Ginger Baker handbook.. His drums were set up a foot or two up from the floor. A screen a few feet high ran effects from one side of the stage to the other, and under his drum kit in the middle… this was attached to a platform where Jerry, DuVall and Mike could climb up and play on during songs, which they did. I just wish one of them would have done the ‘Slash’ leap off that thing mid-riff. That would’ve been epic, but it didn’t look so high anyway, so maybe it just would have been stupid I guess. And in further comparison to the show in May, DuVall seems to winning over more and more fans every time.. They love him-shit I love him. He rocks. Mid set when I stopped working for a few songs and was sitting back taking it all in, I remember just looking at that stage oh so far away, and thinking about oh how far gone this band was before they found this dude. And Mike keeping it in step over there on bass, with the hair swinging every which way yet always landing down and perfect-maybe I could get whatever shampoo he uses. Also remember, I have Mike and Sean’s autographs on a bootleg ticket I bought to an AIC show at Irving Plaza last year, on Sept 9th. (Didn’t have a show to “review” for that, but the night’s events are here ). Anyway so they felt bad, and signed my ticket that I paid $50 for and turned out to be phony. So not only am I enjoying these tunes but I know these dudes aren’t dickheads in real life. Whats better then good people who play great music? And I mean great- I mean you should’ve heard “Grind”, you would’ve jumped into the time portal that leads to the fictional 90’s neighborhood I spend my life living in too. You’d love ever second of it. There were times where you couldn’t help but starting thinking of where you ranking Cantrell among guitar greats… he’s amazing with it. Does anyone else stroll around stage like this guy? He doesn’t walk back and forth he like power walks. I saw him pass by Mike Inez’s microphone to hit the wawa peddle-I guess they got their effects boxes linked up or something. that was really cool.. I like how they had the screens set up playing stuff where, if you didn’t know what song was playing you could still sort of figure it out by the images synced with the song. Everything about the set was perfect, besides them running off for the encore at 10:35, roughly an hour after they went on. It must be MSG’s ceiling for concerts is 11PM, because BlackDiamondSkye isn’t going cross country for tomorrow’s show, they’re going to New Jersey-no flight to catch. During the few minute break, I see some kid lean over to his friends asking them if they want to stay for the encore-what is that some sort of joke? You’re going to leave early? The same way I would leave a football game before my team comes back and scores the winning touchdown. Amazing how some people behave-sickening.. They came back out and played a seven minute “Love, Hate, Love”, then “Man In the Box” and “Would?” to close it out, and were tossing hundreds of guitar picks into the crowd as they thanked everyone and headed off to call it an evening.

And what an evening, glad I could be part of it.. besides the place not filling out. Really disappointed me that this show wasn’t long sold out. It was the biggest show in Alice In Chains history-and a lot of the alleged die New Yorkers missed it. But the billed bands delivered big time, and there’s nothing more you could really ask from the musicians.

So this was fun right? Hope my Dad thought so, as these tickets were my birthday gift to him back in July, which he is now calling the best birthday present since his Gibson SG when he was a teen…and of course hope you had as good of a time as I did, as I’m one who can never get enough of the Alice In Chains.. I have the set list below, I don’t think I missed any but I’m sure if I did It’ll be pointed out to me in a rudely stated comment.. Anyway, as for now I’m off to upload some more video, which isn’t so good picture wise but the sound is superb, so I felt it was worth adding to my archives. Thanks, for putting up with my non sense for a little while, and I’ll see you all October 6th for The Vaselines at Webster Hall.. LATE…

Alice In Chains Setlist:

Them Bones
Dam That River
Rain when I Die
Again
Check My Brain
Your Decision
No Excuses
Down in a hole
Grind
We Die Young
Acid Bubble
Lesson Learned
Rooster
(Encore)
Love hate love
Man in the box
Would?

No longer a Fiesta, the annual KROQ Weenie Roast returned to Irvine, California on the first Saturday in June 2010. The long lasting corporate rock radio festival is not only a celebration of Summer’s arrival, but a chance for the stations simple-minded fan base to act like complete and total douche-bags. Despite this fan-base of brainless burnouts, KROQ always puts together a top-notch line up of artists young and old. Blessed enough to score a center terrace seat inside the out-dated live nation venue once known as Irvine Meadows – I headed south in hopes that great music could not be overpowered by an obtuse audience.

Passion Pit

I have to admit, I only saw Passion Pit in action for about 84 seconds. The rest of their set was spent trying to get into Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre. Trained guards in yellow winbreakers conducted long slow searches yet failed to stop 16,000+ from bringing booze, drugs and various sex toys into the Live Nation venue. With the Bud Light Side stage about 600 yards from the line, we could hear Passion Pit just fine. I feel I didn’t miss out on anything standing in line. I have to assume cheesy synth-dance grooves over vocals that sound as if a cat is being skinned look pretty boring at 2:30 in the afternoon. Really, the only time the music worked for me was when I was close enough to watch a female guard (keep in mind lines for searches are split into male/female) softly fondle the breasts of all patrons in her line. Blessed by the good Lord with man hands, her touch was soft, slowly feeling for “joints” and “other contraband.” I won’t lie, for a moment I was even jealous of her. No matter what I do in life, I have the feeling I will never enjoy my work as much as this woman does. The way she rubbed the female buttocks – lets just say you were not sneaking any credit cards or parking ticket past her. For me, I just had to remove my cap off my bottle of water and throw it away. As soon as my guard turned to feel up the next boy in line, I made a throwing motion into the trash can without even taking my top off. I know, it’s true I am a bad ass.

Against Me!

The first band that mattered at the Weenie Roast was the Gainesville, Florida four piece (five if you count the touring keyboardist) Against Me! I planned it perfectly as I found my spot just as they took to the stage. With a new record White Crosses releasing in less than 72 hours from their stepping upon the stage – Against Me! opened with a very a straight up pop sounding song that I can only assume is new. The next 25 minutes ended up being everything I expected from my second Against Me! show. A few new songs, a solid amount of material from their 2007 breakout record New Wave, and a dash of classics. The Bonnaroo veterans packed in as much as they could in the abbreviated time slot, often not stopping between songs. One highlight was the new records title track which flowed perfectly into the classic “Pints of Guinness Make You Strong.” With the exception of the keyboards which felt out of place – the band sounded tight. “White People for Peace”, “New Wave” and even their current single “I Was A Teenage Anarchist” sounded as if the band had been on the road for months. Of course the biggest ovation from the crowd came from the bands most known rock radio number – “Thrash Unreal.” The folks in the crowd who actually listen to the radio sang along to the bah bah bah chorus oblivious to the actual meaning of the lyrics. Having now seen these guys twice on the festival circuit, I really need to make it to a full on Against Me! show.

Chevelle

While you won’t find the Chicago based band on my ipod, I have never had any issue with Chevelle. I understand the comparisons to Tool and have enjoyed the bands string of rock radio hits over the past decade. In my two previous trips to the Verizon Wireless Side-Stage Festival Grounds (aka a parking lot about the size of two-three football fields) the side-by-side stages have been set up in what would be the end zone. It made logistical sense. So leave it to some genius to switch the format and set the stages up at about the 40 yard line. In doing this, there was far less room for fans, thus making it impossible to move around, let alone between stages. Because of this, I watched Chevelle from the other stage (thus no video) not wanting to miss a second of Deftones. Their 30 minute set was solid wall of hard rock. I only recognized their hits – “The Red” and “Send The Pain Below” – which of course got a large reaction from the crowd. The way I see it, I get to cross Chevelle off the list of bands I have never seen live – and they were the perfect warm up for Deftones.

Deftones

Had it not been for winning tickets to their Jimmy Kimmel Live taping – this would have been lucky #13 for Deftones and I. Having never seen the band in the same venue twice – I assumed the Sacto rockers would be playing before STP on the main stage. Knowing that Deftones shows loose something in seated venues, I was fired up when I learned the band would be headlining the Bud Light side stage. As a Deftones fan, I was shocked to find comments like this on the KROQ.com website:

@ME writes: the deftones are the only reason i’m going! why the hell are they going on at 4 and some sh!!!ty side stage!

Replies:

Ilssa
Yea I agree when they announced that the Deftones are playing I was like I’m not missing them but side stage?? Wtf?? Right?

Manny

yeah why?

So you see, I am not being harsh when I call KROQ fans brainless. Deftones for 45 minutes in the parking lot – how can one not be thrilled?

The band opened the set with “Rocket Skates.” Sadly the song never had a chance. For almost the entire song the crowd was unable to hear front man Chino Moreno’s vocals. So in the event you are looking for an instrumental version of “Rocket Skates” the 2010 KROQ Weenie Roast is for you. As soon as the mic issue was solved the band launched into the title track of their recently released record – Diamond Eyes. Even with fans packed in tight, two circle pits managed to form in front of the stage. Those pits calmed a bit with “Knife Party” but that break was short lived as they swelled even larger when the band busted out their first taste of radio success – “My Own Summer (Shove It).” Having seen the band in a similar setting at the San Francisco stop of the ’98 Vans Warped Tour, it felt right hearing so many songs from their 1997 release Around The Fur. The albums title track as well as “Lotion” are prime examples of what Deftones are all about. One of the biggest reactions the band received was from Fur’s biggest hit “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away).” While some fans grumbled over sound issues from guitarist Stephen Carpenter – most just went nuts over the chance to see the band in such an intimate setting. After playing their biggest hit “Change (In The House of Flies) the band closed their set with “Birthmark.” Having acted the previous night as if this was some sort of treat – I was hoping for “7 Words” or “Bored” when Moreno announced they would close with a song from Adrenaline. Regardless, there is a reason I have seen this band 14 times – they never disappoint. Looking forward to show 15 this fall with Mastodon & Alice in Chains.

The Dirty Heads

I decided after 90+ mins at the side stage I wanted to empty my bladder and grab a beer. Irvine Meadows (sorry, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre) was once a ground breaking venue (as it is my understanding it is one of the first sheds in the country). However now it is out of date and in major need of renovation. Lines for food, drink and restrooms are borderline criminal. Men’s restrooms average 8 urinals and three stalls. With limited rest rooms, you can imagine how long these lines are. The lines for the women’s rest rooms are even worse. Live Nation saves a buck by allowing volunteers to man the beer booths (some of the profit off $13.00 cups of brew are donated to charity). Not even allowed to accept tips, the volunteers did their best to keep lines moving. However a major lack of volunteers and small work space resulted in me missing the up and coming band cover “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones as well as the rest of their set. Granted I don’t know a thing about The Dirty Heads minus their recent hit, I had hoped to catch a bit of their set just to give them a shot. Perhaps next time?!?!?!?!

Cage The Elephant

I admit, I have lost touch with rock radio since I got an ipod. However, Cage The Elephant is one of the bands that has really stuck out to me on the rare occasions my ears have been tickled by KROQ over the past couple of years. Having recently picked up their self-titled album, I was excited to see the band who shares a home state with Wild Turkey Bourbon. Sadly, I missed their first two songs in lines for not only beer as well as entrance to the Terrace section. While solid, I am not sure if Cage is ready for prime time. I realize it’s no easy task to rock such a large space in the sunlight, but the bands rowdy sound felt as if it would fit more into a club or theatre vs. a large scale amphitheatre. Despite this – the band did an outstanding job rocking songs like “In One Ear”, “Back Against The Wall” and “Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked” and I expect big things to come.

Spoon

As the rotating stage allowed Cage The Elephant to exit and Spoon to enter, I decided to go stand in line for the bathroom again. Having seen Spoon twice before, I knew I was not missing out on anything. To me, they are musically un-original and come off like self-righteous dickwads. I hear folks blow them like they are the second coming of Coldplay Christ – yet no one can explain what makes them so fantastic. So yeah, they came, they played, they sucked and won the “Reverend Justito’s Worst Band Of The Festival” award. This is a pretty amazing accomplishment, considering my hate for a certain band further sharing the bill.

Silversun Pickups

My first trip to the Weenie Roast was in 2007. With “Lazy Eye” just breaking the charts – Silversun Pickups stole the show. This was rather amazing considering they played the side stage. I fell in love with their record Carnavas over the following months, but the bands follow up Swoon left a lot to be desired in my heart. The band opened the set with the slow building “Growing Old Is Getting Old.” While the setlist was not really what I was hoping for (all but one song was from Swoon) the Silverlake four piece did not disappoint. Songs like “The Royal We” warmed the crowd who were chilled by the marine layer that had taken over the once warm day. In our section, we had some very loud and flamboyant gay men who when not requesting for bassist Nikki Monninger to expose her tatas; insisted on screamed for the band to play “Substitution” even well after it has been played. With a loud idiots behind me and so-so setlist I struggled for the first 2/3rd of the set. I needed it to be so much more – I needed to connect. Thankfully the last two songs that made me fall in love with Silversun Pickups all over again. Granted they were the bands biggest hits “Panic Switch” and “Lazy Eye” Silversun Pickups always wins over the crowd over in the end. In fact – it is physically fucking impossible to see Silversun and not rock your ass off. For the first time all day, the band got fans in the seated section to get off their backsides and move. Both songs were huge distorted monsters that unlike friends/former tour mates Cage The Elephant managed to fill the cavernous venue. If it was not for a miracle at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre – there is no doubt I would be watching this band headline the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on August 6th.

Paramore

I have no shame in proclaiming that I LOVE Paramore. I own all three of the bands albums and have never had the opportunity to catch the group live. The 2010 KROQ Weenie Roast was my chance to do just that. With a buzz in the air from the final two Silversun Pickup songs the young band hit the stage like the Toronto Blue Jays are currently hitting baseballs. The did a wonderful job by packing their time slot with hit after hit. Early on – energetic front-woman Hayley Williams lead the band through older numbers like “That’s What You Get” and “Pressure.” I have always cried foul when fans of “pop/dance” music defend lip syncing because of lack of breath from gaudy dance numbers. Williams is much like a pinball bashing across the stage all while nailing her massive vocals. I’m always amazes me when huge vocals come out of tiny people, which only adds to Williams allure. Equally amazing, yet often overlooked is the bands guitarist Josh Farro. Part of what won me over to these young pups was their love for one of my favorite bands – Failure. This kid has a great ear for melody rich gnarling distortion that just makes the hair on my back rise in delight. On a totally unrelated note – I would be doing a disservice if I did not mention the pot-bellied Latina sitting next to me. For most of the show, she was reading Twilight on her Kindle. When Paramore played “Decode” from the Twilight Soundtrack – the gal put her Kindle down and rocked out. By the time the band was on to “Brick By Boring Brick” the gal had returned to her electronic-book which held her focus the rest of the night. I won’t lie, I was sad when Williams announced they would be playing their last song. Paramore are a great live band with tight musicianship and raw power. They know how to play up to the crowd, which of course meant they saved their biggest hit “Misery Business” for last. Once again giving 110% the bands confirmed something I already knew – Paramore is something special.

DEVO

I don’t own DEVO records. I know a few songs, “Whip It” being the obvious favorite. I know a lot of folks act as if DEVO is some huge important band. I suppose they are if keyboards wet your whistle. I know they wear plastic hats. I know I once ran into Mark Mothersbaugh when I was eating breakfast with my mother-in-law. I have nothing against DEVO, so the chance to see them for a few minutes at a festival didn’t bother me. I don’t think I will be going out and buying any DEVO records, but they were cool. I always love that feeling at an all-day show when light loses the battle to dark while a band plays on stage. I felt excited watching strange video images as the post-punk/new wave band originally from Akron Ohio did their thing. I headed for the restroom during their last song. I am glad I got to see DEVO for the simple fact it gives me hipster bragging rights. I still don’t get it.

How is it 2010 and the three headliners of the KROQ Weenie Roast were all major players in the heroin haze known as the nineteen nineties? The one who OD’d, the one who should have OD’d and the one who couldn’t OD no matter how hard they tried.

Hole

I hate Courtney Love. I hate her music even more. Terrible songs, terrible vocals, terrible, terrible terrible. My original plan was to post not one, but two reviews from Jay Porks instead of talking crap on the living breathing trash dumpster. Then something changed as I paid a third visit to the filthy restroom (I have a small bladder and stayed hydrated – sue me). I couldn’t believe my ears, the nasty puss filled scab was opening with “Sympathy For The Devil” by The Rolling Stones. Not only was it the second Stones cover I heard while in line, I actually was bummed I was not inside the venue. After watching a crystal meth tweaker piss into a trash can, I made it back to my seat around the time “Malibu” was finishing up. As Love lead her hired hands through more songs, I noticed something. While no Hole song will ever sound good, she has assembled a group of top notch musicians who manage to keep the music focused and on course. From what I have seen of Hole back in the day, the crazed front-woman often lead her pack into disaster. In 2010, someone in her camp has figured out that with a really solid backing band – she can sound halfway decent. In fact, and it pains me to say it I actually cracked a smile or two. The bitch has fabulous stage banter. Who else introduces a Leonard Cohen cover with a discussion on personal douching habits? I can’t believe I am going to admit this, but I found myself rocking out a bit to “Miss World.” After bashing the lame requests of the crowd, Courtney obliged and performed “Doll Parts” but only after making fun of the song. I even forgave Courtney for lying last night. In dedicating an Alex Chilton cover to Kevin Weatherly, she thanked the program director for playing her records from Faith No More to the terrible (her words not mine) solo record she put out a few years ago. Regardless, not only did I survive a Hole show, they were better than Spoon. I never thought I would say that in a million years.

Stone Temple Pilots

STP was the main factor in buying tickets for this years event. While the solid support was there – Stone Temple Pilots are in a league of their own – not to mention they just have a sound that works for summer time outdoors. Great riffs, great grooves – when these four come together magic happens. It’s that rare spark that separates the legends from the greats and STP’s spark is big and bright. Taking the stage moments past 9pm the band opened with a triple shot of modern rock classics. From the opening notes of “Vasoline” I knew it was going to be an amazing set. “Wicked Garden” has always been my favorite STP radio staple, so having this in the two hole simply increased my already high level of excitement. In fine Weenie Roast fashion it was around the third song “Crackerman” that lug-nut fans began a giant bon-fire upon the lawn. The foul smell of burning pizza boxes and beer cups choked the amphitheatre as the DeLeo brothers played their trademark interlocking grooves.

The band used their Weenie Roast appearance to bust out some songs from their just released self-titled album. While not a bad song “Hickory Dichotomy” didn’t seem to fit as well into the hard rocking set as lets say “Between The Lines.” Front-man Scott Weiland played a trick on the crowd introducing another new song only to launch into “Plush.” While a majority of the sets songs came from the bands first two albums; a big highlight was “Tumble In The Rough” a song the band admits they have neglected over the years.

It was clear the audience wanted hits – and the band delivered. “Big Empty” (dedicated to The Big Easy) “Interstate Love Song” and “Sex Type Things” were all highlights. With everyone on their feet, the band left for a brief break before returning for a two song encore. Screaming into his Megaphone – Weiland lead the band into a nasty version of “Dead and Bloated” before closing with another winner from the Tiny Music…Songs From The Vatican Giftshop album – “Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart.” From the deep emotion and slight struggle in Weiland’s voice to the soaring solos of Dean DeLeo, it was the perfect ending to a wonderful day of music.

Sublime w/ Rome

Long before Bradley Nowell was found dead in a shitty San Francisco hotel room, I was making fun of his crappy band. When he passed, I laughed at my friends over their loss (I admit – I was a brain-dead 16 year old). When I heard that the living members of Sublime had reunited with a new singer, I grew angry. Look, I may not be a fan of Sublime, but if I know anything I know that it’s Bradley’s music. Just because some pudgie Ewok looking thing gets good playing those songs alone in his bedroom does not mean you have to piss all over your legacy. Sadly for Bradley’s family the two other guys who were in Sublime have. Now, I realize many fans believe it pays tribute to the music – however it’s anything but. The reason Blind Melon and The Doors failed with their new front men is because their bands had lost their voice – their souls. What happened to Long Beach Dub All-Stars? It might not be the profitable way to honor the music, but it’s the correct way. Walking the long path back to the car, I could hear the crowd singing along to opening number “Date Rape” drowning out the band in the process. If you want a Sublime w/ Rome review – once again I suggest you click here, because you are not getting one from me. For as wonderful as the intent of the KROQ Weenie Roast is, the fans themselves cause the event to fail. People don’t come to enjoy music, they come to get wasted and party with their friends. It’s the reason they cry when Deftones are added to the side stage and the reason they quickly forget their legend for a cheap knock off of the original. Perhaps as a music-snob I am too harsh on casual music fans, but it’s only because I love music so much and it breaks my heart to drown in a sea of disrespect.

I know many folks who claim Twitter is for losers. I happen to disagree. I know this is false because I am a winner. Having won tickets for the likes of Mastodon and STS9 on the 140 character social network, I was lucky enough to pull off a personal coup this week. Already thrilled by the news that the band would be closing the side stage of the 2010 KROQ Weenie Roast (which I am blessed enough to have tickets for) I would get a nice warm up via Friday night taping of the Jimmy Kimmel Live television show. With a +1 reserved for Concert Confessions contributor @God_Frank, we headed into Hollywood on a postcard perfect Friday night to check out the Sacto legends.

As the sun set behind the Roosevelt Hotel, all fans who stood in the parking lot were able to watch tonight’s episode via big screen. After enjoying some Unnecessary Censorship as well as guests like Kathy Griffin; the rowdy crowd were treated to a blistering set by Deftones. Kimmel introduced the band from the middle of the crowd, who got things going with the title track from their new record – “Diamond Eyes.” The band sounded sharp and tight out the gate. Front man Chino Moreno is in top form both vocally and physically these days – guiding the band through the hard hitting number. After a few choice crowd camera shots and another intro by Kimmel – the band dove right into their biggest hit – “Change (In The House of Flies).” Knowing the late shows typical format of new song followed by classic song (as well as hearing it at soundcheck) there was no doubt what would be played here. You could hear in the music the have to/want to battle and Change was the music low-point of an incredible six song set.

With the cameras no longer rolling, Moreno asked if the crowd wanted some new songs. With a thunderous applause the band kicked the energy level up about 85 notches with “Rocket Skates.” This song has grown leaps and bounds since I caught it last October at the Chi Cheng Benefit. The piercing “GUNS, RAZORS, KNIVES” lyrics are the perfect companion for guitarists Stephen Carpenter’s beefy over-distorted riffs. I was excited to hear one of my personal favorites from the bands new album – “CMND/CNTRL.” As I listened to the brutal and beautiful song – I realized that it has been almost a decade since I have head the Deftones sound so ferocious.

I am a Gemini, it’s our time of year so I say this show can have two high water marks. The first was “Sextape” – which tonight for the first time really stood out to me. What a powerful song, I don’t see how this can’t be #1 on the rock radio charts?!?!?! Other fans besides myself were able to feel the raw power. A busty audience member towards threw her bra at the band. He tried to play it cool, but Moreno couldn’t help but crack a smile. The band thanked the crowd and informed all of us that they would play all damn night if they could. Moreno made sure we knew we were being treated after standing for hours as he hyped up a rare gem from the bands debut album Adrenaline. “Birthmark” has the classic Deftones sound – hazy distorted moody melodies that merge into crushing choruses. The hands down best way to send the crowd home happy, not to mention the perfect warm up for the 2010 KROQ Weenie Roast.

OK, I admit it, I totally geeked out last night. In the deep trenches of confusion over guest lists vs. will call along with a “black” carpet ceremony, I was informed that my press credentials were at the VIP table. So I head into to the clusterfuck that is the VIP area outside Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles when I became the meat of a rock royalty sandwich. On my left side is the King of Darkness – Ozzy Osbourne and his people. To my right were Slash and his entourage, trying to get through. In front of me stood God himself – Motorhead mad man Lemmy Kilmister. Looking me straight in the eyes I simply said to the famed Rainbow Room resident “I don’t think I belong here”. He told me he felt the exact same way. It was this moment that I realized that the 2010 Revolver Golden Gods would be a far superior experience compared to last years inaugural event.

Once inside the venue, the show kicked off with co hosts Andrew W.K. and six time WWE champ Chris “Y2J” Jericho doing test shots for the TV telecast. It was at this point that the violent aggressive meatheads in the crowd (and much like last year, there were plenty of ‘em) began to boo Andrew W.K. – something that would occur all evening. If 2010 is my year to discover Andrew W.K (as I hope to catch him this summer on Warped Tour), let’s just say it didn’t get off to a good start. It’s not that he was bad, it’s well, and actually yeah he was bad.

As far as the presenters go, there were some truly amazing moments. While I won’t tell you who won (ok, so there is a spoiler or two below, but you get the idea), the action was non stop all night. From Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie presenting together to Marilyn Manson bringing up the fight of the West Memphis 3, seeing so many stars in one place on one night was truly magical. But you can catch all that on VH1 Classics in May; my job is to share with you what went down on stage from some of Metal’s biggest acts.

SLASH

The first musical act of the night was legendary rock God – Slash. Playing in support of his just released self-titled record, the axe slinger welcomed a plethora of guests to the rotating stage. First at bat was Andrew Stockdale of the band Wolfmother. It’s amazing to me, no matter how hard he tries, this guy just fails. While his vocals sounded fine on “By The Sword” – between the outfit, the moves and just looking like a scared child at the schools music recital, I was not impressed. Thankfully I was able to drown out is Robert Plant rip off vocals and focus on Slash (who believe it or not I have never once seen perform live). Alter Bridge and Slash’s touring front man Myles Kennedy came out next for a song I believe is called “Back From Cali”. I am not very familiar with Alter Bridge, but lets just say Kennedy has indeed undergone a Sunset Strip makeover since teaming up with Slash, and it worked. His voice sounded great, the song kicked all kinds of tail end and I could easily enjoy a full set with him behind the mic.

From this point on, the set went from solid to superb. He may have told me he didn’t belong, but when Lemmy joined Slash on stage for a rocking version of “Doctor Alibi” well lets just say he sure as hell didn’t seem out of place. As soon as the last chords wrapped up from the final “Slash” original of the night, the bands bassist and drummer quickly exited the stage. As soon as a bass was slapped on to Lemmy, Dave Grohl snuck behind the large kit and the band busted out the Motorhead classic “Ace of Spades.” This was hands down the musical highlight of the night. Watching the three living legends bash out one of the top 10 heavy metal juggernauts of all time was a once in a lifetime moment that I am truly thankful to have witnessed.

AS I LAY DYING

It’s crazy to think that these San Diego thrashers have been on the scene for almost a decade now. In a lot of ways, they are responsible for me revisiting my love for metal after years and years of only listening to jam bands like Phish and moe. Having seen the band at least a half dozen times over the years, the highlight of the brief three song set was the debut of a song from their upcoming record The Powerless Rise. The songs title is “Beyond Our Suffering” and let me just say it is brutal. The duel guitar attack of Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa never lets up, and give the perfect backdrop for the deep growl of vocalist Tim Lambesis. From the opening number “Confined” to the set closing “The Sound of Truth”, sadly three songs in fifteen minutes is just not enough As I Lay Dying for me. With the earlier mentioned album about to hit record stores, I can’t wait to catch these guys headline later in the year.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

I have now seen The Devil Wears Prada three times. I am sure they are nice kids, but they just don’t do it for me. The breakdowns are cool, but I feel the vocals of Mike Hranica are a bit weak and the entire thing just feels forced. The band opened with “Danger: Wildman” and did a nice job of having songs segue into each other. Their breif set closed with “Assistant To The Regional Manager” which you can view below.

I have an open invitation to any The Devil Wears Prada fans. I feel like I want to like these guys, but I am missing something. If you catch these guys on the road later this year, send us a review, tell us what the appeal is, because I am cleary missing it.

THE BRIAN POSEHN ALL STARS

Last years host returned to the stage at Club Nokia, this time to perform a track from his recent comedy/metal record – Fart & Weiner Jokes. Backing Mr. Poshen (who for the record is a kind and wonderful human being) was Drummer John Tempestra (Testament, White Zombie) bassist Joey Vera (Armored Saint), guitarists Brendon Smalls (Dethklok), Scott Ian (Anthrax, SOD) and my ex girlfriend* Brett Anderson (The Donnas) on backing vocals. What’s sad is despite being totally sober, and watching the same song performed twice (you have to love TV tapings eh?); I can’t even tell you what it was called. I think it’s probably because I couldn’t stop staring at Brett. I mean dude, wow she is hot and she had some very sexy boots on. Ok, all stalker tendencies aside, the song was basically what you would expect from this group of talented thrashers. Anchored down by Vera and Tempestra, the song (which produced the largest pit of the night, go figure) was some silly diatribe about being more metal than you. During the second take, I saw perhaps the most disturbing thing all night. Some juice head d-bag in an affliction shirt and his Rock of Love reject girlfriend picked a fight with some skinny screamo kid. As the trailer trash repeatedly smacked this poor kid, the same thug bouncers who had a kid arrested from consuming cannabis laughed as this poor kid was attacked for no good reason. Just another excuse for me to hate everything that is Club Nokia at LA Live.

FAT FACTORY

I could write a novel on how rotten Dino Cazares is. However, he strikes me as the type of guy who is lame enough and petty enough to sue me for slander. So instead of telling you stories about him throwing out homophobic remarks at the Rainbow Room staff or how I once watched him flipped out and refused to sign an autograph for members of the Armed Forces on leave from Iraq, I will just tell you this. For me, Fear Factory died when Burton and Dino kicked Christian and Raymond out of the band. From here on out, I refuse to call them by that name in print until the situation is made right. So for those who choose to support those two no talent ass clowns, I will tell you this about their performance. Before the band played two new songs, and “Replica” (complete with Burton “Bon Jovi Hair” C Bell and his trademark flat and off-key vocals) Vinnie Paul and Joey Jordison presented an award (spoiler alert) for best drummer to the late Avenged Sevenfold skin pounder James “The Rev” Sullivan. As his family was accepting the award on his behalf, Dino (who was getting ready to perform) peaked from behind the revolving stage and was doing this “I am so cool dig me routine”. It was rude and disgusting, yet completely expected from the likes of Dino Cazares. I know I am not alone in rolling my eyes anytime Cazares is riding coattails backstage, and I know many who agree with me that he is a pathetic piece of shit. Heck, I am sure there was a reason he got the boot from FF in the first place. So while I did watch Fat Factory perform, they were the only band I didn’t shoot video or photos of, as they were not worth the space on the memory card. Lets hope this bastardization of a once great band doesn’t last very long. Likewise, Christian and Raymond, I hope you win your lawsuit against these guys.

Marilyn Manson

Now that I am done getting the negative out, how about we do something positive? Lets talk about Marilyn Manson. Here is my take on Mr. Brian Warner. Very smart guy who makes crappy music. So the fact I got to hear him speak about something as important as the West Memphis 3 was a treat indeed.

ROB ZOMBIE

I saw Rob Zombie twice in the late 1990’s and was not impressed either time. He seemed to be out of breath the entire time and just seemed to not be feeling the crowd and music. Not being a fan of the original Hellbilly Deluxe mixed with me being butt hurt over the break up of Rob Zombie, I walked away. Over the next decade, when not running into Mr. Zombie at Baja Fresh, I have pretty much ignored him, his music and his movies (I did catch the tail end of Halloween at Festival 8, which was a blast seeing as I had a blank space where my mind should be). Recently, a copy of Hellbilly Deluxe 2 ended up on my desk and I decided I needed a laugh and put it on. You can imagine my shock when instead of laughing; I actually really enjoyed the album.

Closing out the show, Zombie (armed with main axe man John 5 as well as the live debut of new drummer – the extraordinary Joey Jordison of Slipknot) took to the stage and bitched out the crowd. Backed with Bud Light ads and banners for the Jimmy Kimmel Live show (which is supposed to air April 22nd), Zombie ranted and raved about how dead the crowd was and how they didn’t have to play if they were not showed respect. My initial thoughts were- Great, here we go again another dreadful performance. After a “Zombie” chant failed to take hold and fans began throwing garbage across the venue, actor Danny Trejo came out on stage, ripped off his shirt and left. The confused crowd just stood around and collectively said “wait, that was that dude from that movie wasn’t it?” Zombie and band mates followed and ripped into a rocking version of “More Human Than Human”. I have to be honest, I don’t think I have ever seen Jordison play so slowly, ha-ha. From there, Mr. Zombie mentioned how he knew the fans didn’t want to hear new music, but he had to play just one song. Thankfully, he picked my favorite from the new album “Mars Need Woman”. With larger than life moves, Zombie owned the stage, stomping in tune to the thunderous riffs of John 5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bufal2DmgPE

The band once again left the stage as roadies tore down all the Bud Light/Jimmy Kimmel flare. Upon the return to the stage, Zombie kept true to his word and played exciting and well executed versions of “Thunder Kiss ‘65” and “Dragula”. By this point, he had the fans in his pocket, as the crowd pogo and bounced off each other. Thrilled, Zombie decided to close the night with some OT fees for the union boys. Declaring he would raise hell if the PA turned off, Zombie screamed “Superbeast” and not missing a beat the three piece backing band dove straight into the original Hellbilly number.

While it was only five songs, Rob Zombie’s headline set at the 2010 Golden Gods triumphed over the other sets of his I have witnessed. The man has grown leaps and bounds as a performer, is energized and has a backing band that simply destroys. It almost makes me wish I was heading out to the land of the dirt people to catch him on Mayhem later this summer.

If the first annual Golden Gods was a massive embarrassment, the second annual Golden Gods is clearly on the right path. We have BET awards, Country Music Awards and the laugh out loud loser-fest known as The Grammy Awards®. While there were a few issues, the show never had a dull moment (compared to the massive wait between bands/awards etc last year). The fact that fans were able to vote for the winners versus record companies paying for awards was a brilliant idea, as was the rotating stage for bands. With a full TV camera crew and a presenter’s podium that stuck out into the crowd, I really can’t wait to relive this wonderful night on VH1 Classic in May. Cheers Golden Gods Awards – thanks for a wonderful night, I can’t wait to see you next year.

*Ok, sure she may have grown up a few miles from me, but sadly I dated a gal from Gunn High School, not Paly. Hey, I can dream right?

After witnessing night one of Chi Chengs benefit show I thought to myself, “There’s no way in hell they could top this tomorrow night!” I was so wrong.

Fungo Mungo, and Will Haven opened up for the best show of 2009. Fungo Mungos set was no longer than 20-30 minutes, and the same for Will Haven. We did not wait very long for Deftones. After Will Havens last song you could feel the anxiety and anticipation in the room! I felt like I was waiting for a ticking time bomb to just blow up. When the lights went down and the music was turned off, I took a deep breath and grabbed on to the barricade for dear life. Deftones came on stage and opened up with, “Bored.” The energy in that room was unbelievable! I felt like it was my first time at a Deftones show. After the fourth song I started to wonder when the special guests were going to appear on stage. For the fifth song, “Beware” Shaun Lopez joined Deftones. After “Beware” Greg Puciato, from The Dillinger Escape Plan joined Deftones to perform “Hexamgram.” Chino and Greg are an amazing duo!

After Deftones finished performing “Root”, I see a man with long hair and a pony tail walk on stage and waved at everyone. At first I didnt recognize his face because the lights were still low. Once the lights went on they started playing “Engine No. 9” and I look over and its ROBERT TRUJILLO from Metallica standing in front of my face! I couldn’t believe it! Once the crowd noticed that it was him, they went nuts! Trujillo, that man had so much energy! It was amazing! After “Engine No. 9” that’s when things started to get very interesting. The guys from Suicidal Tendencies joined the stage and Trujillo didn’t go anywhere! They started playing “War Inside My Head.” Watch it here!

After that epic performance, none of us were ready for what was going to happen next! All of a sudden the stage started to look smaller by the minute! More people started to join the stage. Greg Puciato, Robert Trujillo, Dave Lombardo, Daron Malakian, Alexi Laiho, and others were on stage! Then, hell broke lose. They started playing “Battery.”

I couldnt believe what I was seeing! When Alexi played that first note, you could see Trujillos huge smile on his face! I knew this was going to be amazing! Greg and Chino did the vocals flawless! I have no more words to describe this melting pot of greatness! Here’s the video.

I thought that was the end of the show, it just felt like the appropriate way to end an epic show. I was wrong, once again! Everyone left the stage except for Deftones and Daron. Then John Dolmayan and Shavo Odadjian walk to the stage. Everyone in the crowd didnt know what to think or believe anymore! System of A Down (Except Serj) was on stage with Deftones! They performed “Aerials” and “Toxicity.”

After “Toxicity” Chino said that they had one more song, and he thanked everyone for coming and supporting the cause. They played “7 Words.” Everyone in the crowd gave it their all, they sang with every bit of last energy that they had left in their bodies! Once they were done with “7 Words” Deftones said their goodbyes and threw out picks and drumsticks. Security were telling us that it was time to go, to start heading towards the exit. As the pit started to losen up, Deftones ran back on stage with Max Cavalera and said that they had more song! The head security of the Avalon was in front of me and he looked irritated. Im sure “7 Words” was supposed to be the last song, and they randomly decided to play just one more song for us! They performed “Head Up” It was beyond epic!

I felt more than lucky to be attend both of those shows. It was amazing to see all those artist come together for a great cause.

When I read on blabbermouth.net last year that Chi Cheng, bass player for one of my all time favorite bands was in a coma from a serious car accident, my heart sunk deep into my gut. For 12+ years, I have seen his band – the Deftones all over the great state of California. From my first show at The Edge in Palo Alto to the Los Angeles Coliseum with Metallica; when it comes to heavy music, personally nothing gets me off harder than the Sacramento five piece. Needing no excuse to see the Deftones live, I made sure I secured tickets as soon as they went on sale for the Chi Cheng Benefit at Avalon Hollywood. For years, the Deftones have gotten me through some tough times in life, and it is an honor and my duty to help one of them when they truly need it (for those unaware, Chi’s insurance is no longer covering the high costs that come with being in a coma).

My wife and I found a great spot stage right at Avalon, and were ready to go when the first band of the evening hit the stage around 7:30pm. Not visually recognizing them, I was shocked when I heard the opening notes of “Boom”. Holy smokes, its P.O.D. I said to my wife. Sadly, I had forgotten all about this San Diego four piece (and judging by a polite, but dull reaction by the rest of the crowd, I was not the only one) who I never managed to catch live during their 15 minutes in the spotlight. The bands brief set consisted of their radio hits, which included the earlier mentioned “Boom”, “Southtown”, “Youth of the Nation” and “Alive”. The band sounded very unpolished in my opinion, with guitarist Marcos Curiel was probably the weakest link, especially on Youth. Despite this (and front man Sonny Sandoval’s failure to get the crowd to participate), I enjoyed the warm up set from a band that while never a huge fan, were at least enjoyable the first 249,928 times you heard them on rock radio.

At my first Deftones show in 97, fellow Sacto rockers Far were main support and blew me away. Sadly, they broke up shortly after and I never got a chance to see them again. Thankfully that changed, as they were the second act to perform in honor of Chi. While they didn’t play their recent radio gem – a cover of Ginuwine’s “Pony”, the band did tear through classics from their highly influential record Water & Solutions. Despite some sound issues for guitarist Shaun Lopez, “Bury White” managed to give me goose bumps. Far was playing live 15 feet in front of me I kept saying over and over again. “Mother Mary”, the bands earlier taste of radio success (if you can even call it that) managed to get a few bodies moving on the floor, but I fear many didn’t realize who they were. Front man Jonah Matranga made sure to keep the focus on Chi, as he shared with us tales of visiting Chi in the hospital and how their upcoming 2010 release At Night We Live was named based off a dream he had about the injured bass player. The brief but emotional set was too short for me, and I must catch these guys next year when they tour behind their new record. If you have never heard Far’s music, you really should, as just about every popular rock/emo band this decade has ripped them off in one way or another.

After another quick set change, it was time for some hip hop sounds from Los Angeles stoner legend Cypress Hill. Once again, I felt some goose bumps as somehow I have never caught Cypress Hill live. Wow, was I impressed – after playing their song “Boom”, the band busted out classics such as “How I Could Just Kill A Man” and “Insane In The Brain”. After 15+ years the later two jams withhold the test of time, and managed to get the first circle pit of the night swirling on the very crowded dance floor. Running short on time, the band closed with an abbreviated version of “I Want To Get High” as B-Real lit up a fat joint on stage. I guess he’s a patient of Dr. Eisenberg as well?!?!?!

Deftones hit the stage like a ten ton dump truck. Opening with the new number “Rocket Skates” the crowd erupted, bashing into each other with joy and delight. I really dig “Rocket Skates”, especially the heavy crunchy riffs of guitarist Stephen Carpenter. Three songs from the Around The Fur quickly followed. “Lotion” gave front man Chino Moreno the chance to show off a slimmer body than past years, while radio hits “My Own Summer (Shove It)” and “Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)” only increased the size of the circle pit. After playing various songs from perhaps their most successful record White Pony, which included an intense versions of “Elite” and “Street Carp” (featuring Ben Kenney of Incubus on Bass/Vocals) and the bands biggest hit to date “Change (In The House of Flies)”what felt like a typical evening with the Deftones became anything but.

I was a bit surprised that the band picked Los Angeles (versus their hometown of Sacramento) for the benefit shows. Then it occurred to me that the only star power in Sacto is a washed up actor/body builder whose life goal is to destroy our fine state, and Hollywood was actually the perfect location. First recognizable face for me was Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato, who while not Maynard James Keenan, did a fine job handling vocals on “Passenger”. From there, various members of Far returned to the stage, first for a tender version of “Xerces”, and then perhaps my musical highlight of the night, a cover of the Jawbox jam “Savory” (which Deftones released on their B-Sides & Rarities collection a few years ago). This song is an intense distorted snarl and to watch Far front man Jonah Matranga trade hooks with Deftones front man Chino Moreno is something I will never forget.

The collaborations got crazier from there. I don’t know whose idea it was to get both Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and living legend Tommy Lee (Motley Crue, Rock Star Supernova and of course a certain home video with a certain Baywatch Babe) together for “Anniversary of an Unimportant Event”, but I am glad they did. I wish I didn’t have to say this, but shame on select audience members who booed and taunted Shinoda as he played keys on the soft number. This was not a night for boo’s but a night for positive energy for Chi. Things just got stranger as Sugar Ray front man/TV personality Mark McGrath joined the band (along with Tommy Lee, who basically hung out the rest of the night on some form of percussion) for a blistering cover of Thin Lizzy’s classic “Jailbreak”. Likewise, kudos to McGrath who educated the crowd before they could booo, sharing how his band toured with the Deftones back in 1995, long before his act sold their souls and started to appear in Scooby-Doo films.

As I changed batteries in my camera, rapper Xzibit snuck out on stage and rocked the house down with “Back To School” (which I don’t own on CD, since I actually purchased White Pony the first day of release). Moreno seemed shocked that he was sharing the stage with the MC/TV host, while Xzibit was all smiles, nailing the lyrics to the song. Up next members of Far and Cypress Hill joined forces on stage with the Deftones, as the now mega-group launched into a cover of Sade’s “No Ordinary Love” for the very first time (at least as far as the Deftones go) live. It was real spacey, jammy/percussion heavy and stretched out to the limits. B-Real and Sen-Dog of Cypress hill then joined in the fun with arguably the heaviest version of their hit “Rock Superstar” ever.

The night ended with perhaps the “Head Up” – the heavy insane skull crushing number from Around The Fur. I know someone came out to take the vocals originally recorded by Max Cavalera, but I couldn’t tell you who he was (Updated 11/23/09 – It is Richie Cavalera from the band Incite). As the crowd bounced and jumped around like crazy, the band blasted through the song with amazing accuracy. In fact, it has been years since I have heard the Deftones (especially Chino) sound so good. The band left the stage to chants of Chi Chi Chi, and despite the majority of the crowd cheering, yelling and going crazy for a solid five minutes, the band never returned for an encore. While some bitched about the lack of encore as they walked out, I was just thankful. Thankful for the one time I got to meet Chi, thankful for all the music he has helped make that has made my life better. But most important, more than thankful, I was hopeful that perhaps one day Chi will wake up and join his brothers upon the stage again.